Inflatable ornament and method of manufacturing same

ABSTRACT

An inflatable ornament includes a hollow shell ( 110 ) formed of a flexible material ( 111 ) and having an opening ( 112 ) therein. An airway ( 120 ) formed of the flexible material is coupled to the opening and extends between the opening and a fan ( 130 ). The fan and the hollow shell are in fluid communication with each other along an axis ( 140 ) extending through the airway between the fan and the hollow shell. The fan is located to the side of the hollow shell and does not support the hollow shell or lie between the hollow shell and a surface on which the hollow shell sits.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to inflatable objects, and relates moreparticularly to inflatable objects appropriate for holiday, seasonal,theme-related, and other decorative use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Holiday and seasonal decorations, theme-related and event-relatedornaments, and the like are widely used to create a festive spirit orother desired ambiance at parties or occasions such as Christmastime,Halloween, and other holidays and seasonal occurrences, as well as atother gatherings such as sporting events, political rallies, meetings,and the like. Such items are popularly used for their ability to amuse,delight, or impress an observer of the decoration or ornament, toreinforce a theme, to emphasize or impart a message, or simply toattract and capture the attention of an observer or passerby.

Inflatable decorations and ornaments in a variety of shapes and sizes,and capable of affecting an observer in any of the foregoing ways, haveexisted for some time. More recently, fan-inflated decorations makinguse of a continuously-blowing fan have been produced. Such fan-inflateddecorations eliminate the need for time-consuming and sometimesuncomfortable manual inflation, thereby making possible decorations oflarger size and greater ease of use. Existing fan-inflated decorations,however, suffer from a high degree of instability. Accordingly, thereexists a need for a fan-inflated decoration that offers the benefitsexpected of such an item and that is also stable and secure during use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood from a reading of the followingdetailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figuresin the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away front elevational view of an inflatableornament according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of a plurality of lights inside theinflatable ornament according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the light shown in FIG. 2 according toan embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fan that forms part of an inflatableornament according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing aninflatable ornament capable of being supported on a surface, accordingto an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of an inflatable ornamentaccording to another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a support for an inflatable ornamentaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figuresillustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions anddetails of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoidunnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in thedrawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, thedimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggeratedrelative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodimentsof the present invention. The same reference numerals in differentfigures denote the same elements.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in thedescription and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishingbetween similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particularsequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the termsso used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such thatthe embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example,capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated orotherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprise,”“include,” “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover anon-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, orapparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limitedto those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listedor inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,”“under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, areused for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describingpermanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms soused are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that theembodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capableof operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwisedescribed herein. The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined asdirectly or indirectly connected in an electrical, mechanical, or othermanner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In one embodiment of the invention, an inflatable ornament comprises ahollow shell formed of a flexible material and having an opening thereinto admit the entrance of air or another gas. An airway formed of theflexible material is coupled to the opening and extends between theopening and a fan. The fan and the hollow shell are in fluidcommunication with each other along an axis extending through the airwaybetween the fan and the hollow shell. When in operation, the fanintroduces air into the airway and from there into the hollow shell. Inone embodiment, the flexible material is a gas-permeable material, suchas a gas-permeable fabric or the like. Once the air inside the hollowshell reaches a certain pressure, the gas permeable material allows airto escape at a rate roughly equal to the rate at which the air isintroduced by the fan, thereby allowing the inflatable ornament toretain its shape while the fan is in operation. The fan is located tothe side of the hollow shell and does not support the hollow shell orlie between the hollow shell and a surface on which the hollow shellsits.

FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away front elevational view of an inflatableornament 100 capable of being supported on a surface 190 according to anembodiment of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, inflatableornament 100 comprises a hollow shell 110, an airway 120, and a fan 130.Hollow shell 110, which is capable of retaining a gas therein, asfurther described below, is formed of a flexible material 111 andcomprises an opening 112. As an example, flexible material 111 can benylon, plastic, rubber, fabric, or the like. In one embodiment, flexiblematerial 111 comprises a gas-permeable material, such as nylon, thatallows gas to escape under conditions described below. Surface 190 canbe the ground, a platform, or any other surface capable of supportinginflatable ornament 100.

Airway 120 is formed of flexible material 111 and comprises an end 121coupled to hollow shell 110 at opening 112 and an end 122 coupled to fan130. As an example, end 122 can comprise tie ends 123 that may be usedto couple airway 120 to fan 130. Tie ends 123 may also be untied ifairway 120 should ever need to be detached from fan 130.

In one embodiment, airway 120 and hollow shell 110 are formed from asingle piece of flexible material 111 such that opening 112 marks aseamless transition between hollow shell 110 and opening 112. In anotherembodiment, airway 120 is sewn or otherwise attached to hollow shell 110at opening 112. Hollow shell 110 has a first volume, and airway 120 hasa second volume. In the illustrated embodiment, the first volume, ofhollow shell 110, exceeds the second volume, of airway 120, by at leasta factor of twenty.

Fan 130 is coupled to airway 120 in such a way that fan 130 and hollowshell 110 are in fluid communication with each other along an axis 140extending through airway 120 between fan 130 and hollow shell 110. Fan130 introduces air into airway 120 and from there into hollow shell 110,thus inflating hollow shell 110 and giving it its intended shape. Theshape can take any form appropriate for a holiday, seasonal, decorative,theme-related, political, or other display. As an example, hollow shell110 can take the form of a ghost, a snowman, an athlete or othersports-related figure, a political personality, a marketing icon, or anyof a vast array of other shapes.

It was mentioned above that in one embodiment flexible material 111comprises a gas-permeable material. In that embodiment, flexiblematerial 111 allows air to escape once a certain pressure is achievedwithin hollow shell 110. At that pressure, which pressure can be suchthat hollow shell 110 is taut but not strained, air will escape throughflexible material 111 at a rate substantially equal to the rate at whichfan 130 introduces air into hollow shell 110. The gas-permeableembodiment therefore allows fan 130 to be run continuously for longperiods even several hours-at a time. The continuously running fan willmaintain the shape of hollow shell 110, and the gas-permeable materialwill allow excess air that would otherwise distort the shape, or rupturethe material, to escape at a steady rate that also allows the shape ofhollow shell 110 to be maintained. The air-displacement rate of fan 130is such that inflatable ornament 100 may be inflated by fan 130 in arelatively short amount of time. In an embodiment where hollow shell 110is approximately three meters tall and approximately half a meter wide,for example, fan 130 is capable of inflating inflatable ornament 100 inapproximately sixty seconds.

It will be understood that in an embodiment where flexible material 111is a gas-permeable material, flexible material 111 comprises a pluralityof what will be referred to herein as microscopic openings through whichair escapes. Although the microscopic openings may not truly beinvisible to the unaided eye, they are small enough to at least bedifficult to see without optical assistance. Apart from such microscopicopenings, opening 112 is, in one embodiment, the only opening in hollowshell 110. In another embodiment, inflatable ornament 100 comprises anadditional opening in the form of a vent 180 capable of being closedduring operation of fan 130, so as to trap air inside hollow shell 110,and capable of being opened during deflation of inflatable ornament 100,so as allow the air to more quickly escape from inside hollow shell 110than would be possible using only the microscopic openings. In eitherembodiment, however, opening 112 is the only opening in hollow shell110, apart from the microscopic openings, that remains open duringnormal operation of inflatable ornament 100. As an example, vent 180 maybe provided with a zipper 181 so as to allow the selective opening andclosing of vent 180.

As mentioned above, a function of vent 180 is to quickly release air,when desired, from inside hollow shell 110, and vent 180 may be locatedin hollow shell 110 at whatever position is most conducive, or at leastreasonably conducive, to the performance of that function. Such positionmay vary from one inflatable ornament to another as the shape of hollowshell 110 varies. In the illustrated embodiment, vent 180 is located ona sidewall of hollow shell 110 and as close to base 101 as possible.

Fan 130 comprises an electrical power cord 131 having a plug 132attached to an end thereof. Electrical power cord 131 supplieselectrical power to fan 130 such that, in one embodiment, fan 130operates continuously while plug 132 is connected to a source ofelectrical power. In another embodiment, fan 130 comprises an on/offswitch 133 capable of turning off fan 130 even while fan 130 isconnected to the source of electrical power. In one embodiment, plug 132comprises a fuse (not shown) capable of interrupting electrical power tofan 130 upon the occurrence, for example, of some over-voltage or otherunsafe condition. Such plugs containing fuses are known in the art, andthus will not be further described herein. Fan 130 still furthercomprises a motor 134 and extended legs 135 that provide an airspace,important for proper operation of fan 130, between motor 134 and surface190.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, airway 120 extends away from hollowshell 110 when airway 120 and hollow shell 110 are inflated by fan 130.Accordingly, fan 130 is not located between surface 190 and hollow shell110, but is instead located to a side of hollow shell 110. Locating fan130 to a side of hollow shell 110, rather than in between hollow shell110 and surface 190, greatly increases the stability of inflatableornament 100. In at least one embodiment, hollow shell 110 comprises along dimension parallel to an arrow 115, and axis 140 is neitherparallel nor substantially parallel to the long dimension.

Inflatable ornament 100 further comprises a base 101 capable of restingon surface 190, a top 102 that is suspended above base 101 wheninflatable ornament 100 is inflated with a gas, and a weight 150 insidehollow shell 110 at base 101. In the illustrated embodiment, weight 150comprises a sealed tube containing a quantity of sand, water, or otherrelatively dense material suitable for the purpose of adding weight to,and therefore stabilizing, inflatable ornament 100. The sealed tube issewn or otherwise attached to hollow shell 110, and can be, for example,a flexible tube made of vinyl or other suitable material. In anotherembodiment, weight 150 can comprise a tube or other container that maybe opened and closed by a user of inflatable ornament 100, rather than atube that is permanently sealed. A selectively openable and closabletube allows the user to fill the tube with an appropriate material, orto adjust the amount of such material in the tube. Weight 150 serves tostabilize inflatable ornament 100 and is thus useful in windy locationsor other environments where inflatable ornament 100 is likely to beintentionally or unintentionally bumped, pushed, or buffeted.

Inflatable ornament 100 further comprises at least one tether loop 170attached to an exterior of hollow shell 110 for use with a tether lineand a stake (neither of which are shown) to further stabilize inflatableornament 100. As an example, a tether line may be coupled to tether loop170 and affixed to a stake which is then attached to surface 190. In atleast one embodiment, inflatable ornament 100 comprises two or moretether loops 170 located, for example, approximately midway between base101 and top 102, and further comprises a plurality of tie down rings 175located near base 101. As an example, each of tie down rings 175 mayaccept a stake (not shown) that may then be driven into, or otherwiseattached to, surface 190 in order to still further stabilize inflatableornament 100.

Referring still to FIG. 1, inflatable ornament 100 further comprises alighting system 160 inside hollow shell 110. Lighting system 160comprises a fastener 161 coupled to hollow shell 110, an electricalpower cord 162 extending between fan 130 and fastener 161, and aplurality of lights 163 electrically coupled to electrical power cord162. Electrical power cord 162 is, in at least one embodiment,electrically coupled to electrical power cord 131. Plurality of lights163 will be shown in more detail in FIG. 2, below.

As an example, fastener 161 can be a strip of flexible material 111 thatis sewn or otherwise attached to hollow shell 110. Electrical power cord162 can be wrapped around or tied to fastener 161, or fastener 161 canbe wrapped around or tied to electrical power cord 162. Electrical powercord 162 may then be allowed to swing freely as it hangs from fastener161, thus creating a dancing light effect as inflatable ornament 100sways back and forth in the breeze, or because of being jostled by anobserver. In one embodiment, plurality of lights 163 are distributedalong at least a portion of the long dimension of hollow shell 110.Fastener 161 may be coupled to hollow shell 110 at a point roughly threequarters of the way between base 101 and top 102, as illustrated in FIG.1, or it may be coupled to hollow shell 110 near top 102 or at someother point. Multiple fasteners may be used, if desired, to allow lightsto be fixed at a plurality of points within hollow shell 110.

In a non-illustrated embodiment, lighting system 160 does not includeelectrical power cord 162, and plurality of lights 163 draw electricpower from a battery or other source. In that non-illustratedembodiment, plurality of lights 163 are attached individually to hollowshell 110 using, for example, fasteners that can be similar to fastener161. In the same or another non-illustrated embodiment, inflatableornament 100 may be illuminated in some other fashion. As an example,such illumination may be accomplished by a light or lights locatedoutside hollow shell 110 that shine on inflatable ornament 100 from oneor more exterior positions. As another example, a single light may belocated inside hollow shell 110 at base 101 and illuminate inflatableornament 100 by shining up from that location. Other lighting schemeswill be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a light 210, which is one of pluralityof lights 163 (FIG. 1), according to an embodiment of the invention.Light 210 is representative of each one of plurality of lights 163. Asillustrated in FIG. 2, light 210 comprises a bulb 211, a socket 212capable of receiving bulb 211 and of distributing electrical power tobulb 211, and a cover 213 enclosing bulb 211 and at least partiallyenclosing socket 212. For clarity of illustration, only a portion ofcover 213 is shown in FIG. 2. Cover 213 encloses bulb 211 and preventsit from coming into direct contact with flexible material 111, thusminimizing the chance that heat generated by bulb 211 will melt or burnflexible material 111. Cover 213 can be made of plastic or anothertransparent or translucent material so as to admit the passage of lightfrom bulb 211.

As an example, bulb 211 can be a seven watt bulb, and socket 212 can bea standard light bulb socket as known in the art. As illustrated in FIG.2, electrical power cord 162 passes through socket 212 and supplieselectrical power to socket 212 such that socket 212 can distributeelectrical power to bulb 211 as described above.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of light 210 with cover 213 enclosing bulb211 according to an embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in FIG.3, cover 213 comprises a hinge 310 capable of allowing cover 213 to beopened along a separation line 312 so as to allow access to bulb 211 andsocket 212. A screw 311 or other fastening device holds the two halvesof cover 213 in place, but may be removed or loosened when access to theinterior of cover 213 is desired. Cover 213 may further comprise one ormore ventilation holes 314. Ventilation holes 314 release heat generatedby bulb 211, reduce the weight of cover 213, and allow the passage oflight from bulb 211.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of fan 130 according to an embodiment ofthe invention. As illustrated in FIG. 4, fan 130 comprises a nozzle 410,a lip 420, leg holes 430, and housing 440. Nozzle 410 is configured todirect air in a direction substantially parallel to surface 190 (FIG.1). It was mentioned above that locating fan 130 to a side of, ratherthan underneath, hollow shell 110 (FIG. 1) greatly enhances thestability of inflatable ornament 100 (FIG. 1). The illustratedorientation of nozzle 410 makes possible such location of fan 130.Another significant advantage of such location is that it enables fan130 to be placed in a manner adapted to conditions in which inflatableornament 100 is displayed. As an example, if inflatable ornament 100 isdisplayed outdoors in inclement weather, such as during a snowstorm, fan130 may be placed on a box, platform, or other riser so as to raise itup out of the snow or other precipitation. In good weather, or wheninflatable ornament 100 is displayed indoors, fan 130 may be placed nextto hollow shell 110 on surface 190.

Lip 420 comprises an indentation 421 capable of receiving tie ends 123(FIG. 1) when tie ends 123 are used to couple airway 120 (FIG. 1) to fan130. As an example, tie ends 123 may be wrapped around lip 420 withinindentation 421 so as to form a good seal between fan 130 and airway120. Leg holes 430, located in legs 135, may be used as aperturesthrough which a screw or other fastening device (not shown) may beinserted, as when it is desired to fasten fan 130 to a riser such asthose mentioned above, or to surface 190 (FIG. 1).

It was mentioned above that electrical power cord 162 is, in at leastone embodiment, electrically connected to electrical power cord 131.FIG. 4 illustrates that electrical power cord 162 exits housing 440,where such electrical connection is accomplished, and then enters nozzle410 through a side of nozzle 410 before it exits nozzle 410 through lip420. The illustrated configuration of electrical power cord 162 allowselectrical power cord 162 to enter airway 120 (FIG. 1) and from thereextend into hollow shell 110, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method 500 of manufacturing aninflatable ornament, such as inflatable ornament 100, shown in FIG. 1,capable of being supported on a surface, such as surface 190, also shownin FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the invention.

A step 510 of method 500 is to provide a hollow shell formed of aflexible material and comprising an opening. As an example, the hollowshell can be similar to hollow shell 110, first shown in FIG. 1. Asanother example, the flexible material can be similar to flexiblematerial 111, and the opening can be similar to opening 112, both ofwhich were first shown in FIG. 1.

A step 520 of method 500 is to provide an airway formed of the flexiblematerial and comprising a first end coupled to the hollow shell at theopening and further comprising a second end. As an example, the airwaycan be similar to airway 120, first shown in FIG. 1.

A step 530 of method 500 is to provide a fan capable of introducing agas into the hollow shell to inflate the hollow shell. As an example,the fan can be similar to fan 130, first shown in FIG. 1.

A step 540 of method 500 is to couple the fan to the second end of theairway such that: the fan and the hollow shell are in fluidcommunication with each other along an axis extending through the airwaybetween the fan and the hollow shell; the airway extends away from thehollow shell when the airway and the hollow shell are inflated by thefan; and the fan is not located between the surface and the hollowshell.

A step 550 of method 500 is to provide a fastener inside the hollowshell. As an example, the fastener can be similar to fastener 161, firstshown in FIG. 1.

A step 560 of method 500 is to provide an electrical power cord having aplurality of lights attached thereto and extending between the fan andthe fastener. As an example, the electrical power cord can be similar toelectrical power cord 162, first shown in FIG. 1, and the plurality oflights can each be similar to light 210, first shown in FIG. 2.

A step 570 of method 500 is to provide the hollow shell with a ventcapable of being selectively opened and closed in order to,respectively, release or trap the gas inside the hollow shell. As anexample, the vent can be similar to vent 180, first shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of an inflatable ornament 600according to another embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in FIG.6, inflatable ornament 600 is capable of being supported on a surface690, and comprises a hollow shell 610 and an airway 620. As an example,hollow shell 610 and airway 620 can be similar to, respectively, hollowshell 110 and airway 120, both of which were first shown in FIG. 1. Onlya portion of airway 620 is illustrated in FIG. 6; a non-illustratedportion of airway 620 is connected to a fan similar to fan 130, firstshown in FIG. 1, but, in the interest of simplicity, both thenon-illustrated portion of airway 620 and the fan are omitted from FIG.6.

Hollow shell 610 comprises a base 601 and a top 602. Surface 690 can besimilar to surface 190, which was also first shown in FIG. 1. Inflatableornament 600 further comprises a support 605 for hollow shell 610.Support 605 is located at base 601 of hollow shell 610. In theillustrated embodiment, support 605 comprises feet 606 that raisesupport 605 above surface 690. In another embodiment, support 605 mayrest directly on surface 690. As illustrated in FIG. 6, support 605 iscoupled to hollow shell 610 and located between hollow shell 610 andsurface 690. As an example, support 605 may be constructed of plastic ora similar material.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of support 605 according to an embodimentof the invention. Referring now to FIG. 7, and still to FIG. 6, support605 comprises a lip 710 and fastener holes 720. At lip 710, support 605may be coupled to hollow shell 610. Such coupling may be accomplishedvia an adhesive such as glue, tape, or the like, or via some otherfastening medium or device. Alternatively, support 605 may be tied tohollow shell 610, or may be coupled in any other manner known in theart. Fastener holes 720 are capable of admitting a screw, a nail, orsome other non-illustrated fastener for the purpose of securing support605 to surface 690. Support 605 may be hollow or solid, as desired for aparticular application or use of inflatable ornament 600. As an example,a solid support adds more weight, and thus potentially greater stabilityin windy conditions, but may be more unwieldy and harder to handle ortransport than a hollow support.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention. Various examples of such changes have been given inthe foregoing description. Accordingly, the disclosure of embodiments ofthe invention is intended to be illustrative of the scope of theinvention and is not intended to be limiting. It is intended that thescope of the invention shall be limited only to the extent required bythe appended claims. For example, to one of ordinary skill in the art,it will be readily apparent that the inflatable ornament discussedherein may be implemented in a variety of embodiments, and that theforegoing discussion of certain of these embodiments does notnecessarily represent a complete description of all possibleembodiments. Rather, the detailed description of the drawings, and thedrawings themselves, disclose at least one preferred embodiment of theinvention, and may disclose alternative embodiments of the invention.

All elements claimed in any particular claim are essential to theinvention claimed in that particular claim. Consequently, replacement ofone or more claimed elements constitutes reconstruction and not repair.Additionally, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems havebeen described with regard to specific embodiments. The benefits,advantages, solutions to problems, and any element or elements that maycause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced, however, are not to be construed as critical, required, oressential features or elements of any or all of the claims.

Moreover, embodiments and limitations disclosed herein are not dedicatedto the public under the doctrine of dedication if the embodiments and/orlimitations: (1) are not expressly claimed in the claims; and (2) are orare potentially equivalents of express elements and/or limitations inthe claims under the doctrine of equivalents.

1. An inflatable ornament comprising: a hollow shell formed of aflexible material and comprising an opening; an airway comprising: afirst end coupled to the hollow shell at the opening; and a second end;and a fan coupled to the airway at the second end such that the fan andthe hollow shell are in fluid communication with each other along anaxis extending through the airway between the fan and the hollow shell,wherein: the opening is the only opening in the hollow shell; the airwayextends away from the hollow shell when the airway and the hollow shellare inflated by the fan; the hollow shell comprises a long dimension;and the axis is neither parallel nor substantially parallel to the longdimension of the hollow shell.
 2. The inflatable ornament of claim 1further comprising: a weight inside the hollow shell.
 3. The inflatableornament of claim 2 wherein: the weight comprises a sealed tubecontaining a quantity of sand; and the sealed tube is attached to thehollow shell.
 4. The inflatable ornament of claim 1 further comprising:a support for the hollow shell located at a base of the hollow shell. 5.The inflatable ornament of claim 1 further comprising: a plurality oflights inside the hollow shell.
 6. The inflatable ornament of claim 5wherein: the plurality of lights are distributed along at least aportion of the long dimension of the hollow shell; and each one of theplurality of lights comprises: a bulb; a socket capable of receiving thebulb and of distributing electrical power to the bulb; and a coverenclosing the bulb and at least partially enclosing the socket.
 7. Theinflatable ornament of claim 6 further comprising: a fastener inside thehollow shell; and an electrical power cord extending between the fan andthe fastener, wherein: each one of the plurality of lights is attachedto the electrical power cord.
 8. The inflatable ornament of claim 1further comprising: a tether loop attached to the hollow shell.
 9. Theinflatable ornament of claim 1 wherein: the flexible material is agas-permeable material.
 10. The inflatable ornament of claim 1 wherein:the fan comprises an on/off switch.
 11. The inflatable ornament of claim1 further comprising: an electrical power cord attached to the fan andhaving a plug at an end thereof, wherein: the electrical power cordsupplies electrical power to the fan such that the fan operatescontinuously while the plug is connected to a source of electricalpower; and the plug comprises a fuse capable of interrupting electricalpower to the fan.
 12. The inflatable ornament of claim 11 furthercomprising: a fastener inside the hollow shell; and a second electricalpower cord extending between the fan and the fastener and having aplurality of lights attached thereto, wherein: the fan does not comprisean on/off switch; and the second electrical power cord is electricallyconnected to the electrical power cord.
 13. The inflatable ornament ofclaim 1 wherein: the hollow shell comprises a vent capable of beingselectively opened and closed in order to, respectively, release or trapa gas inside the hollow shell.
 14. An inflatable ornament capable ofbeing supported on a surface, the inflatable ornament comprising: ahollow shell formed of a flexible material and comprising an opening,the hollow shell capable of retaining a gas therein; an airway formed ofthe flexible material and comprising: a first end coupled to the hollowshell at the opening; and a second end; and a fan coupled to the airwayat the second end such that the fan and the hollow shell are in fluidcommunication with each other along an axis extending through the airwaybetween the fan and the hollow shell, wherein: the airway extends awayfrom the hollow shell when the airway and the hollow shell are inflatedby the fan such that the fan is not located between the surface and thehollow shell.
 15. The inflatable ornament of claim 14 wherein: thehollow shell comprises a long dimension; and the axis is neitherparallel nor substantially parallel to the long dimension of the hollowshell.
 16. The inflatable ornament of claim 14 wherein: the hollow shellhas a first volume; the airway has a second volume; and the first volumeis greater than the second volume.
 17. The inflatable ornament of claim16 wherein: the first volume exceeds the second volume by at least afactor of twenty.
 18. The inflatable ornament of claim 14 furthercomprising: a fastener inside the hollow shell; an electrical power cordextending between the fan and the fastener; and a plurality of lightsattached to the electrical power cord.
 19. The inflatable ornament ofclaim 14 wherein: the hollow shell comprises a vent capable of beingselectively opened and closed in order to, respectively, release or trapthe gas inside the hollow shell.
 20. The inflatable ornament of claim 14further comprising: a weight inside the hollow shell.
 21. The inflatableornament of claim 20 wherein: the weight comprises a sealed tubecontaining a quantity of sand; and the sealed tube is sewn to the hollowshell.
 22. The inflatable ornament of claim 14 further comprising: asupport coupled to the hollow shell and located between the hollow shelland the surface.
 23. The inflatable ornament of claim 14 wherein: theflexible material comprises a gas-permeable fabric.
 24. An inflatableornament capable of being supported on a surface, the inflatableornament comprising: a hollow shell formed of a flexible, gas-permeablematerial capable of retaining a gas therein and comprising: a basecapable of resting on the surface; a top suspended above the base whenthe inflatable ornament is inflated with the gas; and an opening; anairway formed of the flexible, gas-permeable material and comprising: afirst end coupled to the hollow shell at the opening; and a second end;and a fan coupled to the airway at the second end such that the fan andthe hollow shell are in fluid communication with each other along anaxis extending through the airway between the fan and the hollow shell;a sealed tube sewn to the base of the hollow shell and containing aquantity of sand capable of stabilizing the inflatable ornament on thesurface; a first electrical power cord electrically coupled to the fan;and a lighting system inside the hollow shell comprising: a fastenercoupled to the hollow shell; a second electrical power cord extendingbetween the fan and the fastener; and a plurality of lights electricallycoupled to the second electrical power cord, wherein: the airway extendsaway from the hollow shell such that the fan is not located between thesurface and the base of the hollow shell when the airway and the hollowshell are inflated by the fan; the hollow shell comprises a longdimension and has a first volume; the airway has a second volume lessthan the first volume; and the axis is neither parallel norsubstantially parallel to the long dimension of the hollow shell. 25.The inflatable ornament of claim 24 wherein: the plurality of lights aredistributed along at least a portion of the long dimension of the hollowshell; and each one of the plurality of lights comprises: a bulb; asocket capable of receiving the bulb and of distributing electricalpower to the bulb; and a cover enclosing the bulb and at least partiallyenclosing the socket.
 26. The inflatable ornament of claim 25 wherein:the hollow shell comprises a vent capable of being selectively openedand closed in order to, respectively, release or trap the gas inside thehollow shell.
 27. The inflatable ornament of claim 26 wherein: the firstvolume exceeds the second volume by at least a factor of twenty.
 28. Amethod of manufacturing an inflatable ornament capable of beingsupported on a surface, the method comprising: providing a hollow shellformed of a flexible material and comprising an opening; providing anairway formed of the flexible material and comprising: a first endcoupled to the hollow shell at the opening; and a second end; providinga fan capable of introducing a gas into the hollow shell to inflate thehollow shell; and coupling the fan to the second end of the airway suchthat: the fan and the hollow shell are in fluid communication with eachother along an axis extending through the airway between the fan and thehollow shell; the airway extends away from the hollow shell when theairway and the hollow shell are inflated by the fan; and the fan is notlocated between the surface and the hollow shell.
 29. The method ofclaim 28 further comprising: providing a fastener inside the hollowshell; and providing an electrical power cord having a plurality oflights attached thereto and extending between the fan and the fastener.30. The method of claim 29 wherein: each one of the plurality of lightscomprises: a bulb; a socket capable of receiving the bulb and ofdistributing electrical power to the bulb; and a cover enclosing thebulb and at least partially enclosing the socket.
 31. The method ofclaim 28 further comprising: providing the hollow shell with a ventcapable of being selectively opened and closed in order to,respectively, release or trap the gas inside the hollow shell.